By Kang Gahui

The taekwondo practice room at the College of Martial Arts of Yong In University in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province, gives off the smell of sweaty uniforms and protective pads filled with the sounds of students' feet stamping and powerful shouts.

One of the students is Byeon Jae-young, a 16-year-old teen who earned a record-high score in winning the free poomsae (forms) competition at last year's World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

Korea.net on Feb. 25 interviewed Byeon, who has a Korean father and a Philippine mother.

Byeon Jae-young, 16, on Feb. 25 jumps in the air while doing a demonstration at the taekwondo practice room of Yong In University in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province. (Lee Jun Young)

Free poomsae is a demonstration of five kicking techniques to music: side, multiple, spinning, continuous and acrobatic.

Since its debut as an official event at the 2012 world championships, the event has seen a steady improvement in skill level.

At last year's tournament in Hong Kong, Byeon won the gold medal with a record-high score of 9.54 in the under-17 free poomsae division.

"I didn't know I'd receive such a high score," Byeon said in recalling the moment with a humble smile. "The championships in Hong Kong had a festival-like atmosphere, so I was less nervous than usual. When I won for the first time wearing the national team uniform, I couldn't express my joy in words."

Byeon Jae-young, 16, on Dec. 1, 2024, demonstrates an acrobatic kick at the under-17 free poomsae finals of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong. (World Taekwondo)

Byeon's performance was hailed for its creative content and highly difficult techniques, with the tournament's highlight being him jumping 3 m into the air and doing eight consecutive kicks.

The combination techniques that earned him the gold were peerless ranging from the back kick and touch swipe to the touch rise, gainer switch and corkscrew boxcutter. He is Korea's only free poomsae athlete to perfectly demonstrate these moves.

As a child, Byeon began the martial art in first grade at his mother's recommendation. He dreamed of making the national team in third grade after watching a video of the K-Tigers, a leading taekwondo demonstration team.

He said he began his path toward becoming an athlete in his second year of middle school.

Byeon was selected to the national team a year later, but his path was far from easy. He dislocated his shoulder after making a wrong landing and endured numerous failures in learning difficult techniques.

On how he overcame adversity, he gave a short answer. "I just had to persevere. I tried various methods and kept challenging until the end," he said. "If you continue searching for ways, you'll eventually be able to achieve it."

Byeon Jae-young, 16, on Feb. 25 speaks to Korea.net in an interview at the taekwondo practice room of Yong In University in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province. (Lee Jun Young)

Byeon calls his family his biggest source of strength, saying, "My parents always tell me not to get hurt, and those words provide the biggest comfort."

As a child, he spent his winter vacations in his mother's homeland of the Philippines. Since becoming a full-time athlete, however, he has been unable to visit often.

"My mother's side of the family is proud of me becoming a national athlete," he said. "They ask me to do a taekwondo demonstration when we video chat."

On the cultures of both countries, he said without hesitation, "I like most the freedom to eat Korean and Philippine food together."

What about any difficulties experienced as the child of a multicultural family? "Based on my appearance, people sometime ask me if one of my parents is a foreigner," he calmly said, apparently being used to such questions. "But I don't really care."

On what advice he would give people also from multicultural families, he said, "Some have a negative perception of such families but pay no attention to what others think and just go the path you want. Korea has a sufficient environment and system to help achieve your dreams."

His next goal is to win a medal in youth poomsae at the Asian Junior Taekwondo Poomsae Championships this year.

But his ultimate wish? "I want to compete for a long time without getting injured," he said.

kgh89@korea.kr